Can anyone point me to posts about "please send money" scams?

[tzikeh]

This can be in fandom or on the 'net in general, but fandom would be more appreciated. Here are the parameters I need:

• The person in question asked for donations, either for themselves or for "a friend"
  
• The situation requiring the donations was eventually proven to be untrue.

It can't be someone who never asked for money, but other people decided to do a whip-round anyway. It has to be someone who directly solicited donations.

Links in comments most appreciated. Thank you!

Comments

[brownbetty]

The one that leaps to mind is Schrödinger the Cat.

[raine]

There was one that involved Lord of the Rings a while back.
http://www.turondo.com/
http://fanlore.org/wiki/Victoria_Bitter

That's the most famous one I can think of at the moment.

[nestra]

Okay, that's actually kind of hilarious (having not been involved and traumatized). I mean, really! Schrodinger!

[brownbetty]

Yeah, it's a bit on the nose, yeah? I'm personally wondering if the scammer thought she was being clever by taunting her readers or if it was just a slightly obvious physics joke.

[klia]

I can't believe I never saw that. Just... wow.

[liviapenn]

It can't be someone who never asked for money, but other people decided to do a whip-round anyway. It has to be someone who directly solicited donations.

Hm... but what's the difference, really? I don't really have statistics or anything, but it feels like, in my experience, the second way is the more common way to get the scam going. (Like SVmaria, etc.) Just make a post saying "oh, I'll never be able to afford this [needed medical thing]" and wait for your "friend" (ie your dupe who you have primed to be sympathetic with lots of "private" details) to organize the donation... And then accepting donations when they come in.

And then a lot of times I imagine the "friend" who organizes things is a sockpuppet anyway.

(I can *sort of* imagine someone being a liar but not a scammer-- ie, posting about their nonexistent/exaggerated troubles for attention and sympathy, and then being shocked when their BFF starts soliciting money on their behalf... but either you gracefully refuse donations, or then you really are a scammer, basically. And now I'm imagining this as a plot thread in a William Gibson or Neal Stephenson novel... "Where can I get a really sick cat by Tuesday? Fandom Wank wants pictures, and kitteh pastede on yay isn't going to cut it!!")

[liviapenn]

Also, I guess, are you drawing a line between people who *just* performed their scams online, or in "RL" with an online component? Because there are lots of examples of the latter.

Arielle Brooks, put up a Facebook page and a Youtube video asking for donations.

Alicia Tolton - the article just mentions she "solicited donations online," no details.

Martha Nicholas, "raised over $10,000 selling necklaces and orange "Cancer Sucks" t-shirts." That's got to be on some kind of online Cafepress type store, I doubt she was making the swag herself.

Ruth Angelica Gomez, started a foundation and put it online: In a photo on the organization's website, Gomez wears a shirt featuring the organization's logo and a the line, "Behind every fighter there is a supporter. Will you be mine?"

Etc. I also found a bunch of similar stories where people either scammed a small group of friends or one particular charity/foundation by claiming to be ill, as well as this article about people who just do it for the attention, but that seemed outside the scope of things.

[tzikeh]

Hm... but what's the difference, really?

The difference is that I need examples the first kind, but not the second. :)